‘This new certificate programme gives students a solid foundation and understanding of offshore financial services,’ Hassan Syed, president of UCCI, said in a press release.

‘Whether you are already employed in the industry, new to it or simply interested in pursuing a career in the industry, the content of this new curriculum offering will provide excellent value.’

Classes for the course, which will be offered twice per week, will be taught by Paul Byles, who is widely regarded for his knowledge of financial regulation issues and his general knowledge of the industry. He has been involved in the industry through his roles as former head of policy at CIMA, director at Deloitte and as managing director of Focus Consulting.

His understanding of the various sectors and their development is also complemented by more than eight years as publisher of the Cayman Financial Review, Cayman’s only offshore financial services magazine.

Mr. Byles, who has also been teaching financial services and regulation courses for the past year at UCCI, was instrumental in the development of the new programme along with John Thompson, the new director of Graduate Studies and Executive Training at UCCI.

Through the course students will get exposure to the key workings of every relevant offshore financial service on offer with an emphasis on the Cayman Islands.

‘Each industry related course focuses on the services provided in each sector, the main attraction of these services to onshore clients, regulatory and risk issues and international challenges,’ said Mr. Byles. ‘This comprehensive approach delivered over six months makes the course very unique. In addition, the course will draw on the expertise of the Cayman Islands which is one of the richest sources of information on offshore services anywhere in the world.’

‘We are very pleased to be able to offer such an important value added course at UCCI via our newly launched Executive Training Centre,’ said Mr. Thompson, who was previously chair of the Department of Business Studies at UCCI.

Mr. Thompson explained that the curriculum is offered executive-style, which is targeted at busy professionals and others looking for a significant grounding in the offshore sector but cannot attend classes during normal office hours. The classes are structured around evenings and weekends.

‘This new programme is also a great complement to our current efforts to provide review courses for financial services related professional designations such as the CPA and CFA,’ he said.

The full curriculum lasts six months with each of the six course modules taking four weeks to complete. The first course is expected to be launched in the third week of October.

FYI

Companies or students interested in finding out more should contact Diane Campbell at UCCI at 949-3643 or [email protected] or Kathleen Jackman at 526-5010 or [email protected].